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47% of Virginians support the freedom to marry, only 43% oppose

Just five years after Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment banning the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, support for ending marriage discrimination is on the rise. A Washington Post poll released today shows that forty-seven percent of Virginians support marriage for gay and lesbian couples, while only forty-three percent oppose. Additionally, fifty-five percent agree that same-sex couples should have the right to adopt:

"Forty-seven percent of Virginians say gay couples should be allowed to legally wed, and 43 percent are opposed, according to the poll. Fifty-five percent of Virginians say gay couples should be able to legally adopt children.

The results mirror a dramatic and rapid shift in national public opinion about gay rights in recent years. The evolving public opinion could create a challenge in the key political battleground for the commonwealth’s Republicans, who are almost universally opposed to gay marriage, if voters think the GOP is falling out of sync with the electorate. But the results also present complications for Virginia Democrats, who have moved more slowly than their national counterparts to embrace liberal social stands for fear of alienating independent voters."

This poll results come in the wake of three national polls showing that a majority of Americans support ending marriage discrimination. Freedom to Marry is committed to growing and diversifying the majority of Americans in all regions of the country who support marriage for gay and lesbian couples through our national public education program, "Why Marriage Matters."